fifer of the fields, whose high, clear whistle is
one of the most welcome bird songs of early spring. In May, when
nesting, it often sings an ecstatic twittering warble on the wing. The
alarm calls are an unmusical _dzit_ or _yert_ and a string of beady,
metallic notes.

The nest is placed on the ground. The 4-6 eggs are white, speckled with
brown.

WESTERN MEADOWLARK

_Sturnella neglecta_

Grayer than the Eastern Meadowlark, with
disconnected tail-bars and yellow spreading to the
sides of the throat.

_Range._ Western United States, rare east of the
Mississippi. SE. Minn., common S.R., Mch. 25-Oct.
15.

With the general appearance and habits of the Eastern Meadowlark, but
differing in its call-notes and song. Instead of the sharp _dzit_ or
_yert_ and metallic twitter of the eastern bird, the western species
calls _chuck_, _chuck_, followed by a rolling _b-r-r-r-_. The eastern
bird plays the fife but the western uses the flute, and its bubbling
grace-notes are easily distinguishable from the _straight_ whistling of
its eastern cousin.

ORCHARD ORIOLE

_Icterus spurius. Case 7, Figs. 10-12_

Adult males are unmistakable, but females and
young males in their first fall wear a
non-committal costume and must be looked at
sharply. In their first nesting season, young
males resemble the female but have a black throat.
This is a smaller, more slender bird than the
Baltimore Oriole, and the female is less orange.
L. 7-1/4.

_Range._ Eastern United States, nesting from the
Gulf States to Massachusetts and Minnesota;
winters in the tropics.

Washington, common S.R., Apl. 20-Aug. 22.
Ossining, common S.R., May 2-Aug. 6. Cambridge,
S.R., sometimes rather common, May 15-July. N.
Ohio, common S.R., Apl. 28-Sept. 5. Glen Ellyn,
not common S.R., Apl. 38. SE. Minn., uncommon
S.R., May 10-Aug. 26.

In the northern part of its range, the Orchard Oriole is somewhat less
common, and more local than the Baltimore Oriole, while its duller
colors and more retiring habits make it more difficult to see. The voice
is richer, more cultured--if one may use the term--than that of its
brilliant orange-plumed cousin; indeed, in my opinion, this species
deserves a place in the first rank of our songste